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Cambridgeshire calls for businesses to help reduce false fire alarms

04 November 2011

The Fire Industry Association and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have teamed up to reduce the volume of false fire alarms occurring in businesses across the county.

Between September 2010 and September 2011 Cambridgeshire FRS attended 2,618 false alarms in non-domestic premises, costing £334,512 and countless wasted hours, as well as removing vital resources from genuine emergency incidents. At a time when government is cutting back on spending within the public sector, Cambridgeshire FRS is keenly looking for ways in which to reduce their costs without reducing the level of service they provide.

Cambridgeshire FRS and the FIA are working together to educate local businesses that they can help reduce these false alarms and, in turn, help reduce the excessive cost to the fire service.

The two organisations will be holding a seminar on Reducing False Alarms in Your Business on Thursday 12th January 2012 at the Holiday Inn Cambridge with the aim of providing practical advice and guidance on what business owners can do to reduce the risk of false alarms. False alarms are a serious matter for Cambridgeshire businesses; if Cambridgeshire FRS cannot cut their costs in this problematic area, they may be forced into investigating the potential of a risk based non attendance policy to fire alarm calls as is in operation in other UK fire and rescue services.

The FIA believes that false alarms take up valuable time, human and financial resources and has been a vocal supporter of the consistent use of the Chief Fire Officers Association Protocol for the Reduction of False Alarms and Unwanted Signals. With 12 Fire and Rescue Services in England not attending automatic fire alarms already, the FIA is keen to work with FRSs to reduce false alarms in their county, reducing the need for such drastic action.

Commenting on the joint venture, FIA CEO Graham Ellicott said: "False alarms are a big issue for Fire and Rescue Services but the last thing anyone wants is for them not attend at all. The FIA has been doing a lot of work over the past few years to educate those responsible for fire safety in the workplace as to what they should be doing and this seminar is a natural extension of our other fire safety seminars.

"We are only too happy to work with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service to tackle this issue head on and, hopefully, see fewer false alarms as a result."

Assistant Director for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, Rick Hylton said: "Cambridgeshire FRS welcomes the support of the FIA to help us in driving down the number of false alarms we attend. Reducing these calls will not only reduce costs but will also ensure that our fire engines are available to respond to the most serious calls as quickly as possible."

The half-day seminar will look at false alarms, what they are, the main causes of them and focus on what businesses can do to reduce them. The event costs £10 to attend and is bookable via the FIA's website: www.fia.uk.com